BREMERTON — Kitsap Transit is considering hiring a consultant to review the reservation system being used for its Bremerton-Seattle fast ferry service and possibly to search for alternatives.

The much-maligned reservation system has been a source of frustration for ferry riders, who have complained about a cumbersome and inefficient interface, slow load times and difficulty of use.

The proposal before the transit commissioners Tuesday would let Kitsap Transit begin the search for an expert, who would review the reservation system and make recommendations.

“Essentially, we're asking someone to come in, work with us and the riders to some extent to make sure we understand clearly what we need the system to do and perform,” Kitsap Transit executive director John Clauson said.

Depending on the consultant’s findings, Kitsap Transit could also look at building its own reservation system from the ground up, Clauson said.

Scrapping the current system was one of the top recommendations of consultant Darrell Bryan, former CEO of Victoria Clipper, who was hired as Kitsap Transit’s marine service director after giving his report to the board last month.

In his report, Bryan said the current system “fails both financially and in providing service to the commuting public.” He highlighted the time it takes to make a reservation, the inability to book a week’s worth of sailings on one reservation and a high no-show rate as some of the biggest problems.

More complicated issues have arisen. In January, a computer glitch caused sailings to be double-booked, leaving some reservation-holders without a guaranteed spot. Earlier this month, riders on social media complained about a slow and laggy webpage that didn’t display sailings correctly.

Additionally, riders don’t have to register an account or pay when making a reservation, making it difficult to find people who abuse the system. A September survey by Kitsap Transit estimated that one-third of reservations go unfilled.

“What’s most important is to have a system that’s user-friendly, right now we don’t,” said transit board member Richard Huddy, a Bremerton city councilman.

Kitsap Transit has tried to adjust the system, requesting changes from its vendor, RocketRez. While a few have been implemented, transit officials say the process is taking longer than they hoped.

So far, the agency has asked RocketRez to streamline the system's user interface in order to reduce the number of clicks it takes to make a reservation. Other requests have included the ability to only book two one-way trips per registered passenger and tying accounts to an Orca card to improve accountability.

Kitsap Transit has given RocketRez a deadline of the end of March to complete the changes. The agency’s contract with the vendor is set to renew in April.

Finding and hiring an expert could take up to 60 days, Clauson estimated, and he didn’t want to offer a timeline for how long the work may take. It’s unlikely a new system will be in place by the time Kitsap Transit’s contract with RocketRez comes up for renewal.

“What we've heard from the riders so far is as challenging as the system is, it’s much better than not having one at all,” Clauson said. “As opposed to us just running out and buying something else, and then pushing all of our users through another learning curve, it would be better to just hang on to what we have.”

According to the proposal, the consultant would be paid no more than $80,000.

The board declined to make a decision Tuesday, pushing the proposal to later in the month. County Commissioner Charlotte Garrido, a transit board member, said she wanted a better explanation of the type of work before taking a vote.

"When I read that the estimate is $80,000, I really felt like I needed more scope of the work that was going to be performed. Because we haven't had a terrific experience with the reservation system, I guess I'd like a little more certainty," Garrido said.

Huddy applauded the idea, calling the reservation system the most important part of fast ferry service after safety and reliability.

"If we don't have the knowledge, let's get it. Let's get that job done and let's get it done ASAP because we're frustrating a lot of people right now," Huddy said.

County Commissioner Robe Gelder brought up concerns of scale-ability. A reservation system isn’t expected to be needed for the Kingston and Southworth routes, but it should be available if necessary. A consultant could help set up a system that works well for Kitsap Transit’s specific needs, he said.

“I think it's helping the agency think through what we need to think through on a reservation system, as opposed to trying to take something and make it work,” Gelder said.